McDonalds’ New Uniforms Are Inspired by Mad Men

Would Don Draper eat at Mc Donald's? We can see him eating a Big Mac perhaps or maybe even see Betty Draper having a salad to bring down that dress size but the fast food chain has just released some news inspired by the cable drama and hey why not!? Fashionista.com has the full story for us.

McDonald’s may not have had an entire Mad Men plot line centered around it a la Howard Johnson’s, but that hasn’t stopped the fast food mecca from cashing in on being inspired by the runaway success of Don Draper and co. At least in the UK. When time came to update the tired, brown-polo-and-baseball-cap combo that’s been worn by McDonald’s workers for the past four years, the fast food chain enlisted the help of Red or Dead designer Wayne Hemingway, who instead of looking to the future, turned to the past for inspiration 

The result is a collection that pays tribute to the 1960s mod movement, and of course everyone’s favorite TV show. “There’s just a little bit of Mad Men,” Hemingway told the Telegraph.

Gone are the garish reds and yellows of McDonald’s days of yore, replaced by a softer pallet of faded plaid (“McCheck”), gherkin green, and muted mustard (this is a burger joint, after all).

The mod influence is particularly prominent in the managerial uniforms, which Hemingway described to the Telegraph as “harking back to a day of really classy air travel.” There are skinny ties for the men and Fred Perry-esque piped button downs with Peter Pan collars for the women. Oh, and pencil skirts. Joan would be so proud.

Hemingway explains that putting a McDonald’s crew member into anything too ‘modern’ would have them “end up looking like an extra from Star Trek.” In that case, we’ll gladly take Don over Spock. “We wanted classic design. A narrow tie will always be fashionable,” he said. “There is a very subtle hint to the mod look, which has never gone out of fashion.”

The uniforms’ one very un-Mad Men quality? They’re completely recyclable, and eventually, each discarded uniform will be made into an entirely ‘new’ one. Guess everything old really is new again. The new/old uniforms will be unveiled in Stratford, UK in time for the Olympics (what else?), before being worn by 87,500 Mickey D workers across the UK this fall.

Here's a video with some of the looks -